


The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

by ProfessorDumbleBrows



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, One Word Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2479568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfessorDumbleBrows/pseuds/ProfessorDumbleBrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto wanted to confess to Rin. But their situations make him hesitate as he remembered what their lives would be after graduating high school. Still, he takes the chance and tells Rin how he feels. What's the worse that could happen?, he figures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to do my own one worded prompts where I use one word and write something involving the word, not really focusing on the word.  
> Annnnnd this was my longest fic for one.  
> So I decided to upload it. Enjoy~!

It was late August.

Vacation was almost over and students of all ages were dreading going back to school.  
  
Makoto, being one of those students, felt he should at least go out of his way to spend time with his friends individually. He was always hanging out with them in a group -- Haruka being the exception, of course. So he felt it was time to get to know them one by one to the best he could.  
  
He started with Rei, figuring he knew him the least of his friends. He moved on to Nagisa, Kisumi, Gou, and Haru. Each person gave him a different experience and, much to his surprise, he found out things about them that he never thought he would ever find out from one day of spending time with them.  
  
However... There was a reason why Makoto left Rin for last.  
  
Rin.  
  
Oh how Makoto couldn’t help but feel flustered at the mere mention of the red head’s name.  
  
If he had to be honest, he would confess that he was, indeed, in love with this boy: Rin Matsuoka. Since when? Well, he couldn’t remember. Maybe since they met, maybe since last year. But it was undeniable that there had always been a spark between the two that no one could ever match up to. Rin was special to Makoto.  
  
And that was why when Rin agreed to hang out with Makoto on the last day of his vacation, he felt more than excited. Nervous might have been a better word, considering what he planned to do.  
  
Makoto stood by the exit of the train station on the last stop and he glanced at his watch. He knew his friend had other plans earlier in the day, so he didn’t mind waiting a few minutes. He looked toward where the sun was low in the sky and felt his heart ramming against his chest, remembering what his goal was going to be for the day.  
  
Another minute pass and Makoto was about to take his phone out from his pocket. What stopped him from doing so, however, was the sound of rushing footsteps and a call of his name. The brunet looked up and saw Rin approach him, his footsteps slowing down the closer he got to avoid crashing into him. A warm smile met Makoto’s features and Rin stopped in front of him, taking a deep breath before standing straight and rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
“Sorry for being late. Sousuke and I took longer with packing than I thought.” Rin said, carefully neglecting the fact that they wasted time by playing video games to see who would win more. No doubt, Rin did.  
  
“It’s fine, it’s only been a few minutes.” Makoto responded. “Ready to go?”  
  
“Yeah.” Rin slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and begun walking once Makoto took the lead. Almost immediately after they begun walking, Rin’s curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “So where are we going anyway? You asked me to meet you here but didn’t really say what we were going to do.”  
  
“Oh, right. Well since it’s late in the afternoon, I figured we can just lay down on the grass by the riverbank and talk. When was the last time we really talked with just the two of us alone?”  
  
Rin blinked, realizing that really had been a while. “Huh… Probably when we were kids. Alright then, I have no problem with a little catching up.” He grinned.  
  
Relief washed over the taller male and the rest of walk to the riverbank was short. In no time, they were walking off the path and onto the grass, stopping somewhere between the river and the path on the grass.  
  
Makoto was the first to sit and Rin followed, both males with their knees bent. Where Makoto was hunched over to rest his arms on the top of his knees, Rin propped his upper body by resting his hands on the grass. It was soft but crisp and more than welcoming for people to relax. The sun was setting but took it’s time in the lazy summer afternoon.  
  
It was silent for a moment before Makoto started a conversation about how things have been. Both exchanged recent stories, plans, memories. It was a simple back and forth conversation fulfilling their intention of catching up once more. But the memory of what Makoto wanted to do came back and he took advantage of their paused conversation to think about it.  
  
He gulped, fingers nervously scratching at the fabric of his jeans. He felt it was foolish of him to even want to confess his feelings when he knew Rin was going off to Australia and he, himself, was going off to Tokyo. The feelings he held, however, needed to come out. Even if nothing happened between them, he wanted to at least let them out and stop keeping them bottled up.  
  
“Hey Rin…” Makoto started, looking over to see the named male now lying on his back with his arms cross behind his head.  
  
Rin hummed and tilted his head slightly to look at Makoto. “Mm?”  
  
“I kinda have something that I wanted to tell you. But… If I tell you, can you promise that things will not be awkward between us?”  
  
“I can’t really promise anything but… Wait, don’t tell me you’re pregnant. Because if you are, I’m sorry but that in itself is awkward.”  
  
Makoto made a choked sound and quickly turned his upper body to face Rin. He waved his hands around frantically and shook his head. “No no! That’s… That’s not even possible! Trust me, that’s not what I was going to tell you.”  
  
A mock sigh of relief escaped Rin’s lips. “Thank God then.” He said, grinning in amusement from Makoto’s reaction before sitting up. “So what was it you wanted to tell me?”  
  
A pause and Makoto hesitated. He was ready, he felt ready, but the words were caught in his throat. How was he supposed to even go upon saying it? Beating around the bush would definitely get him no where without making a fool of himself so… He took the straightforward approach.  
  
“I like you. ...A lot.”  
  
The air between the two quickly grew thick, heavy, almost as if drastic news was given instead of a confession. And thinking about their situations, it could be obvious why. Rin’s eyes widened slightly and he felt like his heart dropped. He gulped and took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock that came to his system.  
  
That was by far unexpected. Yet, it was completely welcomed. Rin was worried that he had to be the one to confess years from the day he realized his feelings for the brunet. And now the other was telling him, just months later, that he felt the same as he did. Rin couldn’t believe it and he couldn’t even respond properly.  
  
Makoto stared at him, eyes gentle and bashful as he tried hard not to look away or even run away. His jaw clenched and unclenched, worried if he made the wrong mistake. But Rin wasn’t reacting negatively and that was the only thing giving Makoto hope.  
  
Rin suddenly fell back, arms crossed behind his head and body once more relaxed as he layed down on the grass again. The grass that so perfectly matched the vibrant green in Makoto’s eyes. A calm smile found Rin’s lips and he closed his eyes.  
  
“You know we can’t date until I officially come back to Japan years from now. Right?” He asked, not accepting nor denying the confession.  
  
“I’m well aware of that.” Makoto responded, his voice surprisingly solid.  
  
“And you still confessed to me? Tsk, what if you change your mind? You could find a nice girl or guy in Tokyo and--”  
  
He was cut off by the words, “I won’t because you have something about you that no one else has.”  
  
Rin tensed up a bit and opened one eye to look at Makoto. Damn him and his romantic phrase -- that was just the way to get through him…  
  
“We’ll see what happens in the future. But if you’re so sure nothing will change, let’s seal the deal.”  
  
“...Seal the deal?”  
  
“Kiss me and I’ll be yours.”  
  
“W-What?!”  
  
“If you kiss me, you’ll claim me as yours without us actually having to worry about the relationship problems until I come home and I actually can be yours. Simple as that.” And as he explained, Rin’s voice did take on a tone to emphasize that simplicity.  
  
Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed a bit, mostly from the flustered feeling that bubbled up inside of him. He bit the inside of his cheek in thought and nodded. “Alright. Sit up.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“So I can kiss you…?”  
  
“If you really want me, work for it and come down here.”  
  
The brunet made an amused sound. That was just like Rin to mess around with him even in this manner. But nonetheless, Makoto shifted onto his knees and moved over to Rin’s side. Placing a hand on either side of the red head, he looked down at him and had to bite back a chuckle at the sudden surprised expression Rin wore.  
  
“Did you not expect me to do it?” He asked.  
  
A string of incoherent gibberish fell off Rin’s tongue before his closed his eyes tightly to try to ignore the heat that traveled up to his face. He opened his eyes and looked up at him. “No, I didn’t!”  
  
“You shouldn’t have offered.”  
  
“You shouldn’t have taken me seriously.”  
  
“It’s you. I’ll take everything to heart. ...I’ll even take you to my heart.”  
  
It was a cheesy line; a line that almost made Rin cover his face at how bad it was. But despite that fact, it was sweet and he was a sucker for romantic things.  
  
“If you’re going to kiss me, just do it already.”  
  
And without another word, Makoto complied and lowered himself to gently press his lips against Rin’s. It felt like a spark ignited and the warmth traveled throughout their bodies. Makoto smiled against his lips and Rin smiled back, both feeling giddy at the happiness they seemed to have exchanged. And it was then that they both decided the wait was going to be worth it in the end.  
  
x X x  
  
Years passed since that late summer’s day. Makoto and Rin both went on with their own lives. Makoto with his education for teaching and Rin with his training for swimming. But despite their busy schedules and parting distance, they both managed to find ways to continue talking and to appreciate one another as they did before. It was just hard on both of them because even when Rin was visiting in Japan, their plans always conflicted and they only saw each other once per visit.  
  
Makoto didn’t mind it though. He was prepared for this just as Rin was too when they came to their agreement. But the time was drawing near for his return and Makoto couldn’t help but feel excited. In a week, he was supposed to come home and they were supposed to come to their final choice about what was going to happen. But as far as they both knew, nothing changed so drastically for them to change their minds. And that fact made him smile with relief.  
  
Summer rolled around again and Makoto was relaxing in that same grassy section that he confessed to Rin in. His arms were crossed behind his head and his eyes closed behind his glasses. Life at the university was tough for him and his extra years for his degree in education was not helping him with enjoying the little things. So even though he promised his family he was going to spend time with them in Iwatobi, he couldn’t help but take a few hours for himself to unwind and settle his thoughts properly.  
  
His mind was at ease as he layed on the grass. The grass that now seemed so similar to the pictures Rin sent him of the grass near riverbank in Australia. The grass that seemed so similar to the color of his eyes from what Rin told him. His mind was filled with this man in the joy of his return, but he knew patience was a virtue in this time.  
  
Still… He couldn’t help but smile at the memories of his voice over skype as he basked in the warm and light of the sun.  
  
...And then suddenly everything grew darker. The bright red of his eyelids became black from the shadow looming over him and he furrowed his eyebrows in response.  
  
“Huh…?” Just as Makoto was about to open his eyes, he felt something press against his lips. Shock settled itself into his body and it took him a second to register the feeling was another set of lips. Opening his eyes and getting ready to push the person away, he was stopped by noticing the locks of red hair that blocked his vision of the sky.  
  
The person moved their head back, finally revealing their face. And boy was it a beautiful face that was laced with bright eyes and a smile to match the emotion they held.  
  
“Rin!” Makoto exclaimed. “I thought you weren’t coming for another week.”  
  
“Well, I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with an early return.”  
  
“Oh you--” His words suddenly paused and he blinked. “...Boyfriend?”  
  
“Yes, boyfriend.”  
  
“...Me?”  
  
“Yes, you.”  
  
“...Boyfriend?”  
  
“Makoto.”  
  
The named male laughed in response. So that was it. Rin came to his decision and Makoto had decided his own a long time ago when he confessed years before.  
  
Rin moved back to kneel comfortably and Makoto pushed himself to sit up. A grin crossed the brunet’s lips and he leaned forward to kiss the other properly. Rin kissed back, energized by the old spark his missed while he was away.  
  
“I’m back.” He whispered as he moved his head back just a little to keep close to his face.  
  
Makoto touched their foreheads together and smiled gently. “Welcome home.”

**Author's Note:**

> ...The word was Grass, by the way.


End file.
